Here in Knoxville, my college group studies the book of Proverbs on Wednesday night. I remember in my first years of being a Christian the difficulty that surrounded the idea of wisdom. [...]

In this article Ben Montoya discusses an important issue for young college students to understand:  Your college ministry on your local campus is NOT the local church. [...]

Message: Ben Ward – The Gospel and Community

Have you ever wondered how to bridge the Gospel to the college campus? So often we desire to talk about the Gospel, but our friends never speak the right vocabulary: righteousness, faith, or forgiveness of sins. In his series ‘The Gospel & Campus Life,’ Ben Ward shows how we can bridge the condemnation lifting message of Jesus Christ to our daily conversations ranging from Emotions to Education.

At TVN we reach out to the postmodern college student in order to raise up a generation of local church loving, family oriented, faith defending church planters, pastors, and missionaries. The campus tends to portray one of two lifestyles: a place to contend for Christ or an obstacle to experience Christ. [...]

5) Eating Out – Eating is social. Countless times, college students are bored on any given night and someone suggests, “Let’s go grab a bite to eat.” What’s the harm, though? According to WikiAnswers (and who can’t trust them), the average restaruant meal is $10 and the average fast food meal is $5. The harm comes when we don’t invest our money to advance an effort and see it fall out the back of our pocket for the sake of boredom or the social scene.

4) Inerrancy – Wayne Grudem defines inerrancy as meaning “Scriptures in their original forms, does not affirm anything contrary to fact.” On the college campus, it’s cool to be critical of the Bible. Do you believe in the Resurrection? “No, I’m more enlightened than that” is a common answer we will receive. So, with so many people (professors included) questioning the biblical account of history, will our mind be made up that the Word is truth?

3) Church – The Church is a local body of believers faithfully submitting to the Word of God and the practices Jesus instituted. The way we view the church will impact the way we manage all  of our time. The fact remains that colleges and universities will have way cooler events, but the church has a way cooler mission – the reconciliation of all things to Christ (cf. Colossians 1:20). We must determine what we believe about the church or its importance will slide to nonexistent amidst the demands of everyday life.

2) Relationships/Sex – Without defining relationships and sex, we will lose perspective in the hodge podge of collegiate parties, drama, and hormones. Lifelong complications, heartache, or regrets may result from not thinking through what Godly relationships look like. Defining parameters around relationships does not imprison your heart or fun, rather gives it the freedom to benefit from relationships and sex in the way God inteded. Here’s another source to help you think through relationships.

1) Truth – Can Truth be known? College campuses question truth more than any other context in Western society. Universities seem to create more confusion than answers abou truth, often times with the various colleges conflicting one another about the nature of truth. The sciences and mathematical schools will demand truth as they send the student to seek out the ‘right’ answer among conflicting data. However, almost all other schools will conflict this pursuit as they question truth saying relativity rules. Different situations demand different truth. You, as a college student, are caught in the crossfire. Coming to an educated defense of truth will create a solid foundation for you to pursue the rest of your education. Here’s another resource for you to think through the issue of truth.

Schooooooooool’s… Out… for… Summer…

Can’t you hear that old song playing as your theme when you walk out of your last final? I can honestly say that I sang that song every semester I was in school.  Here’s the question you face now: What do I do for the summer?

1) Serve your Church. As a college minister, I know that there is lots of stuff do at a church. There are always more opportunities and things to do than people to accomplish them.  Take the next couple of months to help out.  How?  Just ask around.  If they honestly have nothing for you to do, move to Knoxville for the summer and I’ll give you something to do.

2) Have a Bible Study. Take the summer to dig into a book of the Bible with some friends, and commit yourself to know it in and out by the time school comes back around. Some of the guys in my college group will be going through Hebrews this summer.  I didn’t ask them; I didn’t prompt them; and I’m not even leading them.  They are hungry for the Word.

3) Prepare for next Fall.  Every Christian during the fall semester of school gets excited about “doing something big for God.”  But by the time fall comes around it’s too late to do anything because 10,000 other things will pop up in your life.  Use wisdom and plan ahead.

4) Fast.  Have you ever wonder why you don’t?  I do all the time.  Fast a couple of days, seek the Spirit, and see what you learn.

May began a couple of days, and for a college student that means finals. Finals have a sense of tension that comes with them. On one side of the coin, they are the end! With Finals, the promise of summer comes and a chance to relax, or at least not worry about school. On the flip side though, a sense of dread as so much weight comes with a final exam. Here’s my question as you face finals this week, does Jesus care about your test? [...]